Pinchas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, has turned My anger away from the people of Israel, while he was zealous for My sake among them (Deut. 25:11)
In enumerating Pinchas' praise, the first thing the Torah mentions is that he acted "among them." In Judaism, true zealousness for G-d does not mean withdrawing from society and becoming a recluse, but expressing it on the communal level. (Rabbi Pinchas of Koretz)
From Yetzer, the family of the Yitzrites; from Shilem, the family of the Shilemites (Deut. 26:49)
Our Sages said: "A person is led in the direction he wishes to go." If a person wants to indulge his "yetzer," his evil inclination, he will not be prevented from doing so. But if he truly strives for wholeness (from the same Hebrew root as "Shilem") and purity, G-d will help him achieve his goal. (Rabbi Yechiel Michel of Zlatchov)
These were the counted of the people of Israel: six hundred thousand and a thousand seven hundred and thirty (Deut. 26:51)
This number reflects only those Jewish men who were between the ages of 20 and 60; it does not include males who were older or younger, nor does it include women and girls. The total number of Jews in the desert - men, women and children - is not recorded anywhere and is unknown. (Rabbeinu Bachya)